Chloe has one plan for the future, and one plan only: the road. She’s made a promise to herself: don’t let anyone in, and don’t let anyone love her. She’s learned the hard way what happens if she breaks her rules. So she’s focused on being invisible and waiting until she can set out on the road — her dream of freedom, at least for a little while.
Blake Hunter is a basketball star who has it all … has it all — everything about him looks perfect to those on the other side of his protective walls. He can’t let anyone see the shattered pieces behind the flawless facade or else all his hopes and dreams will disappear.
One dark night throws Chloe and Blake together, changing everything for Blake. For Chloe, nothing changes: she has the road, and she’s focused on it. But when the so-called perfect boy starts to notice the invisible girl, they discover that sometimes with love, no one knows where the road may lead.
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Loved loved loved!!! A must read!
This book is so much more than just a story. It is an emotional roller coaster that will leave you begging for more. I did not know what to expect going into this book. I knew I would like it, I just didn’t realize how much. This book is a breath of fresh air and the type of story I have been waiting for. This book will hurt you and emotionally destroy you, but it will also build you back up and put you back together. This book proves that love can be the thing you need to overcome whatever life decides to throw at you.
Chloe Thompson has managed to sneak through life without being noticed. She likes it this way. She knows what she wants and has a plan to get it. That is, until Blake Hunter.
“He was my change.”
Blake Hunter has many expectations and duties to live up to. He is living his life for other people and doing what they want instead of what he truly wants. He was lost and confused about life, until Chloe.
“She made me want to be there.”
Chloe is so loveable. She will quickly grab a hold of you and make you feel as though you truly know her. Blake is the type of guy I want in real life. He is inspirational and hopeful. Together they are magic. They struggle together and go through real life problems and I loved that about this book.
This book has made me fall in love. I fell in love with the characters, the beautifully crafted words and sentences as well as the insightful plot. I cried, I laughed and I definitely felt the emotions. This book is everything I expect from Jay McLean and more. No review or synopsis could have prepared me for the journey I was going to go on whilst reading this novel.
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.”
Jay McLean is a phenomenal author! She tears you apart with the emotion put into her words. Her words are unique and inspiring. This book is a literary masterpiece and one of my favourite books I have ever read. This may just be Jay McLean’s best work yet.
“Sometimes the wrong path can lead us to the right road.”
I will start with this…you MUST read this book! It was AMAZING! I could not put it down!
This was my first book by this author, but it certainly won’t be my last. The words gripped me from page one and I was hooked, reading until late into the night to finish it before I went to sleep. If you’re looking for a book with ALL the feels, this is it. You’ve got romance, tragedy, some teen angst, travel, sports, illness, recovery, I could go on and on. It’s been quite a while since I’ve read a novel with SO many facets. And I love when the author can get you just as interested in the secondary characters as you are the primary. Imagine my delight when I learned there is a spin off book featuring the secondary character I loved the most! (Can’t WAIT to read it and it’s sequel!)
The main character has moments where you might be annoyed with her, but you’ll also probably grudgingly see why she is the way that she is…and when she finally sees how wrong she’s been, oh what emotions! The male lead is by far my favorite character in the book. Blake is one of those guys that just grabs your heart and makes you wish that every guy was like him. He’s understanding, compassionate, loves kids, he’s loyal…I just love this character so much (add him to the book boyfriend file!)
If you’re a fan of this author, or authors like Colleen Hoover, Jenny Han or Sarah Dessen, you’re sure to enjoy this book. I’m only disappointed that I’ve waited so long before trying her out.
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: Where the Road Takes Me
: Jay McLean
: 5/5
This book is interconnected to the Kick Push Series. I recommend reading this book before the Kick and Push series because it has spoilers for Where the Road Takes Me. I am actually writing this review after a reread and it just reminded me again why this book is so amazing!! This book has such a beautiful story with all the emotions and experiences of loss, healing, pain and love. I cried a couple times whilst reading this book, it is just so emotional (in the best way possible)… and that even though I already knew what would happen. Jay McLean just always knows how to reach me as a reader with her words. It almost feels like she knows what I love to read and she just writes these books that I am meant to read! The characters in this book are just perfect. Chloe is such an amazing character, I totally fell in love with her over and over again. She is so strong going through her journey and my favorite quotes/advices were definitely from her. I also love the character development both her and Blake go through. These characters are really what made this story so exceptional. I also loved the idea of the Red Letter Days and Unexpected Phenomenal. These are the special things you will take with you long after you have read the book and maybe even will use in your own life. Recommending this book to everyone basically, especially those who love an emotional read.
A lot of my reviews are also available with photo at my Bookstagram: @justmyfantasyworld
“You’re my unexpectedly phenomenal, Chloe. You’re my red-letter day.”
Wow. Just wow. Where the Road Takes Me by Jay McLean is unexpectedly phenomenal. I am emotionally exhausted, but in the best possible way, from reading Chloe and Blake’s story.
Eighteen year old Chloe has done her best to remain invisible and has just a few months left before graduation, after which she plans to hit the road with no destination in sight. Blake aka Hunter feels as though he’s living a lie and is facing a future that he’s not sure that he wants. When Blake saves Chloe during one of his late night runs, that one meeting changes everything. Chloe’s future is uncertain and she just wants to remain hidden, but Blake doesn’t give up on wanting to know her. She finally agrees to a friendship, both of them knowing that it can only last until she hits the road, but when the time comes, Blake doesn’t want to let her go.
This story truly is a rollercoaster of emotions, and this author is an amazing talent that makes you feel every single thing that her characters are going through. My heart broke for Chloe. Her fear, her grief, her determination to live while at the same time wanting to protect the people who could love her. And Blake…my heart broke for him, but at the same time, I was in awe of his love for Chloe. I would find myself smiling or laughing one moment, then sobbing uncontrollably the next.
The secondary characters are all wonderfully written and make this story so much more. This becomes a world that I would want to live in, with people that I would want to have as my family and friends. It’s a beautifully told story of LIVING no matter what life throws your way.
Hi, I’m Sparkles and I have a problem.
I always forget why it is that I don’t read YA anymore.
I have two major issues with young adult books. The first one is that as they are in high school, some books have them acting as the adolescents they are which I find annoying. I mean, I remember the agony of not having my favorite t-shirt clean and ready to wear, but I’m not interested in reading about it. My second issue is that sometimes the opposite occurs and they act as I would now and I find it more annoying because that makes the book seem unrealistic to me.
In this instance, although I enjoyed Where the Road Takes Me, I felt that both Chloe and Blake acted out of the age range they were supposed to be. If they were a wee bit older, finishing college instead of high school, I would have found it much more believable.
The way they built their relationship, how they resolved problems and how they acted in general, I found not to be accurate for their age. I was a fumbling idiot at 18… so either I’m really underdeveloped emotionally, immature or kids these days are waaaay ahead of their time.
Another issue I had with this book was the lack of warning of a main topic in the story that is
So, aside from these 2 things (I took one star for each of them) I just imagined them in college and in their early twenties and enjoyed the story (I feel very creepy if I’m perving at an 18-year-old, for some reason 22 seems to be a little less troubling xD).
The writing is good, the pace was excellent and the relationship-building of Chloe and Blake as a couple I found very sweet.
Given the topic of the story, I was tearing up here and there, and I thought they were very sweet together. Chloe had big emotional issues to overcome and she drove me a little bit crazy with her stubbornness, but Blake finally broke through. Blake will be an amazing book boyfriend in a couple of years. As I previously mentioned, I can’t properly perv on him just now…maybe a good 15 years later bonus epilogue would be just the thing.
Summing up, I enjoyed the book and found it hard to put down and the issues I had didn’t ruin the story for me.
I will be on the lookout for more from Jay McLean, and if it’s not YA that would be awesome, but I think I’d still be tempted to read it even if it was.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book*
This was a really sweet story. It reminded me of a tamer version of The Edge of Never. After losing her mother, Chloe was put into foster care. She decided to become invisible, never forming attachments to anyone. That is until she meets Blake. Growing closer and closer they agree to spend as much time together as possible before Chloe heads out on “The Road”. I liked the writing. The character interactions are believable and age appropriate. I also liked that the story focused mostly on the pre road trip, making their connection stronger. The time jumps at the end of the story and the epilogue were the icing on the cake.